Final in CL Pre-Qualification in Iceland
Although the 2022/23 football season does not officially start until 1 July, there have already been the first competitive matches of the new season. The preliminary round of the Champions League qualifiers will be played in a small elimination tournament. In the final match for a place in the first qualifying round, Inter Escaldes and Vikingur Reykjavik will face each other on Friday evening.
Represented in this elimination tournament in Iceland are the four champions of the associations ranked 52nd to 55th in the UEFA Five-Year Ranking. The semi-finals were on Tuesday’s programme, and the final will now be played on Friday. While the winner will continue their journey in the top flight to face Malmö FF, the loser will continue in the Conference League qualifiers. The match kicks off on Wednesday evening at 21:30.
A little knowledge of geography is needed at this stage of the qualifiers. Vikingur Reykjavik can still be assigned to Iceland with relative ease and thus enjoy home advantage as hosts. Inter Escaldes is already a more difficult task, as it is the champions from Andorra who are listed as the home team here. The bookmakers are offering odds of over 10.00 on the underdog from Andorra to win the Inter Escaldes vs Vikingur Reykjavik clash.
Inter Escaldes – Statistics & current form
The regular season does not start in Andorra until September, but the champions already have to play their first competitive matches at the end of June. Founded in 1993, the club has become an absolute dominator in recent years. The Construccions Modernes Inter Club d’Escaldes – as it is known – has won three titles in the last three years. This run of success was unthinkable just a few years ago, as the club only became first-class again in 2017.
Never made it past pre-qualification
Thanks to their third championship, Inter Escaldes are also taking part in the pre-qualification for the top flight for the third time. In the 2020/21 premiere, the team was eliminated by KF Drita from Kosovo. A year later, the top flight also ended against a Kosovar team. After HB Torshavn from the Faroe Islands was defeated, Inter Escaldes lost 0:2 against Prishtina.
This season, the team of 38-year-old head coach Fede Bessone also won the first match. Against La Fiorita 1967 – champions from San Marino – the Andorra team was still trailing 0:1 at half-time, but a brace from the 35-year-old veteran Genis Soldevila ensured their progress. This was the third win in the seventh international match in the club’s history. This compares to four defeats.
The role as outsiders against the hosts from Iceland is certainly justifiable, but to the current extent it seems a little surprising. The champions from Andorra have an experienced team that has never suffered a major defeat (two or more goals difference) on the international stage. Whether the surprise will be successful can be regarded as unlikely. But at least a prediction on the handicap +1.5 or +2.5 is possible for Inter Escaldes against Vikingur.
Predicted line-up of Inter Escaldes:
Coca – De nova, Feher, Roca – Rubio, Cabrera, Martinez, Gallego – Andreu, Soldevila, Casadesus
Last matches played by Inter Escaldes:
Champions League Qualifying Preliminary Round
21/06/2022 – La Fiorita Montegiardino 1 – 2 Inter Club d’Escaldes
Slutspel Championship
22/05/2022 – Sant Julia 2 – 2 Inter Club d’Escaldes
15/05/2022 – Inter Club d’Escaldes 1 – 3 UE Santa Coloma
08/05/2022 – Inter Club d’Escaldes 4 – 1 Atletic Escaldes
01/05/2022 – Inter Club d’Escaldes 4 – 1 Sant Julia
Vikingur Reykjavik – Statistics & current form
The history of the Icelandic club Vikingur Reykjavik is a bit longer, as the club was founded already in 1908. To date, the club has celebrated six championships. While many European countries are currently on summer break, Iceland plays a full-year championship. The title win in 2021 was Vikingur’s first success since 1991.
Defence of title almost impossible
There will almost certainly be no successful title defence for head coach Arnar Gunnlaugsson’s team this season. Although not even half of all games have been played (ten out of 22), the gap to the sovereign league leader Breidablik is enormous. Breidablik have 27 of 30 possible points, while defending champions Vikingur currently have only 19 points.
The gap is the result of a disastrous start to the season. After the first five games, Vikingur had just seven points. Only in recent weeks has there been a clear improvement in form. In the domestic championship, there were four wins in five games. Only the top match against Breidablik was a defeat. Across all competitions, including the Cup and the CL pre-qualification, the team has now won five matches in a row.
In the clear 6:1 victory against FCI Levadia from Estonia, the Icelandic hosts even fell behind briefly (6th minute). However, they managed to equalise immediately and as the game progressed, the victory was no longer in jeopardy. This clear victory is certainly also responsible for the fact that the bookmakers are only offering odds of around 1.15 on Inter Escaldes against Vikingur Reykjavik. There is certainly no value here, as Icelandic club football is at a very manageable level.
Predicted line-up of Vikingur Reykjavik:
Ingason – Sigurdsson, Ekroth, McLagan, Atlason – Magnusson, Pundyed – Andrason, Ingason, Agnarsson – Hansen
Last matches played by Vikingur Reykjavik:
Champions League Qualification Preliminary Round
22/06/2022 – FCI Levadia 1 – 6 Vikingur Reykjavik
Besta deildin
16/06/2022 – IBV Vestmannaeyjar 0 – 3 Vikingur Reykjavik
29/05/2022 – Vikingur Reykjavik 2 – 1 KA Akureyri
Cup
27/05/2022 – Haukar 0 – 7 Vikingur Reykjavik
Besta deildin
23/05/2022 – Valur 1 – 3 Vikingur Reykjavik
Inter Escaldes – Vikingur Reykjavik Direct comparison / H2H balance
The final in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League pre-qualifiers will be the first meeting between the two teams.
Inter Escaldes – Vikingur Reykjavik Tip
According to the bookmakers, the final of the pre-qualification should be a clear affair. In the duel between Inter Escaldes and Vikingur Reykjavik, maximum betting odds of 1.15 are offered on a win for the Icelanders. The role of favourite is certainly justified due to the strong form (five wins in a row) and the home advantage (and thus the advantage of the climatic conditions in Iceland). But is the underdog really so without a chance?
Inter Escaldes is certainly not a team you have to know and the footballing quality compared to the Icelandic champions is also difficult to compare. However, the statistics show that the champions from Andorra have yet to lose a game internationally after 90 minutes with a difference of two or more goals. Accordingly, five units in the duel Inter Escaldes against Vikingur Reykjavik are bet on the handicap +1.5 in the forecast. The under 3.5, with surprisingly high betting odds, is also a good option. The underdogs in particular will place a lot of emphasis on defence. Thus, scoring opportunities should be scarce.
